This is a spin off from Axlen's picture thread, which was almost derailed by a discussion about beer.

I think a lot of Japanese beers are pretty good, but at home my wife and I generally stick with Ebisu (ちょっと贅沢なビール), which is made by Sapporo, when we drink Japanese beer. I refuse to drink 発泡酒, which I don't know how to translate into English, and I don't care, because in my opinion it tastes like, uhm, just use your imagination and think of something really awful.

We generally drink German beers, Holsten when I can get it, but usually Becks, which I can buy by the case at Costcos. My wife likes Lowenbrau (not the American crap), because, like most Bavarian beers, it goes down real easy.

As far as American beers go, Budweiser can be found just about anywhere. Coors and Miller aren't as common, but they can be found at stores that carry imported beers, as can Sam Adams, sometimes. I usually don't drink American beer, though I will put down a SA now and then.

Of course I enjoy an occasional Guinness and Bass Ale as well.

There is a German style restaurant in Otsu City in Shiga Prefecture, right on the shores of Lake Biwa. The food is okay, but the best part is they have a wonderful selection of German beers. The last time I was there I polished off four 500cl bottles, each from a different area of Germany, and served in the appropriate glass.

In summary, a lot of beer is consumed in Japan, and if you like beer, Japan is a good place to be.

Actually, 発泡酒 (which, in my opinion, is not nearly as bad as Bud or Coors) isn't nearly as bad as 雑酒.

雑酒 is the demon seed of the devil. I've never had any of that stuff that didn't give me a headache after the first can. Avoid it at all costs!

Japanese beers can be pretty similar (read - nearly impossible to tell apart), so when you're craving something different, you need to look around. Out in my neck of the woods, there's a French supermarket (now recently bought by Aeon) called Carrefour that carries a lot of different beers from abroad, including those well known to Americans - Rolling Rock, Dos Exxis, Corona - but also many beers from Europe that aren't as well known. My favorite has been a Belgian company that produces a red, a dark and a bitter ale. Off the top of my head, I believe it was called Cuval. The only drawback is that they are 450 yen a bottle. Definitely only a once in a while sort of thing.

Anyway, I don't know that there is a translation for 発泡酒 - it's basically a beer that's been made with less malt than a traditional beer. The sugar content is just as high during brewing, which is why the alcohol content is the same, but with less malt you get a more watery, less full-bodied flavor.

I'm a big fan of darker varieties of beer, and a couple nice 発泡酒 are the Kirin 生黒 and Asahi's 本生 (which is marketed as 限定醸造, so check it out while you can) - both darker beers. Definitely a nice break from the standard, run-of-the-mill Japanese lager.

Oyaji wrote:This is a spin off from Axlen's picture thread, which was almost derailed by a discussion about beer.

haha, sorry about that....but beer is very important! okay so if you buy say just regular budweiser or miller. is it more expensive?...i assume it would be, because it's an import, or do they have their own brewers in japan?

one thing that i want to know is about sake. i went to the store the other day and noticed there were so many different kinds. from cooking to drinking. some i heard you add water. while some may taste better hot, and others cold. does anyone drink it? what are good brands and how do you prepare it? *i'm very curious*